Muhafazakâr Yahudiliğin Gerileme Süreci ve Geleceğine Dair Bir Analiz

Öz

Amerika’da Reformist ve Ortodoks hareket ile kıyaslandığında Muhafazakâr Yahudilik, gelenek ve değişim arasındaki gerilimi çok daha yakından tecrübe etmiştir. “Orta yol” ideali Muhafazakâr hareketi kaçınılmaz olarak her dönemde eleştirilere açık hale getirmiştir. Kurumsal boyuta evrilmeye başladığı 19. yüzyılın son çeyreğinden kabaca 20. yüzyılın sonlarına kadar Amerika’da en popüler hareket olma özelliğini koruyan Muhafazakâr Yahudilik günümüzde bir kriz dönemini yaşamaktadır. Muhafazakâr hareketin düşüş sürecinde rol oynayan temel nedenleri ortaya koymayı ve geleceğine dair bir çerçeve çizmeyi amaçlayan makale, bu her iki alanı hareketin kuruluş ideolojisine referanslarla incelemektedir. Bu çerçevede araştırma, hareketin kurucu lideri Solomon Schechter’in Yahudilik vizyonu bağlamında yürütülmüştür. Bu ana zemin, idealize edilen Muhafazakâr din anlayışı ile hareketin mevcut durumu arasında karşılaştırma yapmaya, böylece gerek problemli noktaları tespit etmeye gerekse ileriye dönük yorum ve öngörüde bulunmaya yardımcı olacak kritik bir fonksiyon icra etmiştir. Muhafazakâr hareket devam eden gerileme sürecini bizzat hareket içerisinde kapsamlı bir araştırma girişiminin bir parçası olarak değerlendirememiştir. Bu araştırmanın eleştirel bir çalışma olarak literatüre katkı sağlaması umulmaktadır. Hareketin geleceğine ilişkin ise bu çalışma, belli nitelikleri haiz Ortodoks Yahudiler ile tesis edilecek yakın ilişkinin hareketin içinde bulunduğu krizden çıkışında hayati bir rol oynayabileceği tezini savunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dinler tarihi
• Muhafazakâr Yahudilik
• entelektüel hareketler
• Solomon Schechter
• Katolik İsrail
• kurumsal kriz
• Modern Orthodoks Yahudilik
• Open Ortodoksi

An Analysis of the Decline and Future of Conservative Judaism

Öz

Compared to the Reform and Orthodox movements in the United States, Conservative Judaism has experienced the tension between tradition and change much more intensely. The “middle way” ideal has inevitably left the Conservative movement open to criticism in every period. Conservative Judaism, which remained the most popular movement in the United States from the last quarter of the 19th century -when it began to evolve into an institutional dimension- until roughly the end of the 20th century, is currently experiencing a period of crisis. The article, which aims to reveal the main reasons that played role in the decline of the Conservative movement and to draw a framework for its future, examines both of these areas with references to the founding ideology of the movement. Within this framework, the research has been conducted in the context of the vision of Judaism advanced by the movement’s founding leader Solomon Schechter (1849-1915). This main groundwork performs a critical function in helping to compare the idealized Conservative understanding of religion with the current state of the movement, thus helping to identify problematic points and to make forward-looking comments and predictions. The Conservative movement has not been able to evaluate the ongoing process of decline as part of a comprehensive research initiative from within the movement itself. It is hoped that this article will contribute to the literature as a critical study. Regarding the future of the movement, this article defends the thesis that establishing a close relationship with Orthodox Jews who have certain characteristics can play a vital role in the Conservative movement’s recovery from its present state of crisis.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• History of religions
• Conservative Judaism
• intellectual movements
• Solomon Schechter
• Catholic Israel
• institutional crisis
• Modern Orthodox Judaism
• Open Orthodoxy

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